Sewing-machine.



A. H. DE VOE.

SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1918.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- ATTGR'N EY A. H. DE VOE.

SEWING MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21. 1918.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

ALBERT H. DE VOE, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE-SINGER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION NEW JERSEY.

SEWING-MACHIN E.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. DE Von, a citizen of the United States, residing at Westfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in sewing machines and more especially to folding and guiding devices which may be used singly or in combination to obtain the variety of product desired.

The invention has for an object to provide a device of this character permitting the insertion of a tape either between the hemmed edge of a body-garment and a covering-strip or between the garment at a point distant from said edge and a covering-strip.

Another object of this invention is to. provide improved means for supporting the tape-guide and for applying a constant tension to the tape.

- In its improved form the present construction comprises a covering-strip guide secured to the cloth-plate and adapted to fold-in the edges of a covering strip. Positioned immediately above the covering-strip guide is a tape-guide carried by a shift-bar fulcrumed between its ends upon the free end of an arm pivotally secured upon the clothplate. This bar is adapted to be manually shifted from its normal position, in which a tape is guided between the two needles of the sewing machine, into the path of one of the needles, or outside the paths of both needles. Carried by the shift-bar is a tensioning finger adapted to constantly bear upon the tape with an adjustable pressure and regardless of the shifter position of the tape-guide.

An edgefolder is pivotally supported above the cloth-plate in superposed relation with respect to the tape-guide in a manner permitting it to be thrown out of operative position when it is desired to apply a tape to a garment at a point distant from the edge thereof or to effect similar products not requiring the employment of the edge-folder.

.In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front side elevation of the sewing machine to which the present improvement is applied. and showing in dotted lines the edge-folder thrown out of operative posi- Specifi cation of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1 7.. 1918..

Application filed April 27, 1918. Serial No. 231,078.

supporting bracket for the edge-folder- Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a product of the machine when the edge-folder is in op' erative position and with the tape passing between the lines of stitching. Fig. 4 is a.

view similar t Fig. 3, but with the tape shifted into the path of one of the needles. Fig. is a sectional view of a product which may be obtained when the edge-folder is out of operative position and with the tape passng between the lines of stitching. Fig. 6 IS a view similar to Fig. 5, but with the tape shifted into the path of one of the needles.

Referring to the drawings, the sewing machine is constructed with the usual bed-plate 1 supporting the overhanging bracket-arm 2 terminating in the head 3. Journaled for vertical reciprocation in the head 3 is the needle-bar 4 carrying the needles 5 and 6 passing through suitable apertures in the usual presser-foot 7.

Secured to the cloth-plate 8 of the sewing machine by means of screws, as 9, is a covering-strip guide 10 projecting toward and having its delivery end terminating in advance of the needles. This strip-guide, as usual, is formed with oppositely directed edge turning scrolls, as 11, adapted to fold the edges of a strip 0 passing therethrough.

A tape-guide 12 is positioned above the strip-guide and is carried by one end of a shift-bar 13 fulcrumed by means of a screw 14 upon an arm 15 pivotally secured upon the cloth-plate by means of a screw 16. The other end of the shift-bar is formed with an L-shaped slot 17 shiftably entered by a screw 18 carried by, one arm 19 of a two-armed lever fulcrumed upon the cloth-plate by means of a pivot-screw 20. The other arm 21 of the two-armed lever is formed with a depending lip 22 positioned in the path of the reduced lower portion 23 of a collar 24 suitably secured upon the presser-footlifter-rod 25. The lifter-rod 25 carries at its lower end a collar- 26 having an eye 27 adapted to be connected in the usual manner with a suitable treadle r knee-shift (not shown), the rodbeing guided in its movement by passing through an aperture formed in the guide-plate 28 suitably secured to the sewing machine cloth-plate. The upper end of the lifter-rod is connected with the rear t between the needles.

endof the resser-foot lifter-lever 29 fulcrumed upon the pivot-screw 30 on the rear side ofthe overhanging bracket-arm and normally acted upon bya spring 31 to raise the rear end of the lifter-lever. The for.- ward end of the lifter-lever is adapted to engage the usual resser-bar lug 32 to lift the presser-foot for insertion or removal of the work. l

A spring 33 is secured intermediate its ends upon. the cloth-plate by means of a screw 34, one end of the spring bearlng against the shift-bar 13 and the other end bearing against the arm 19. The normal action of the spring tends to hold the arm 19 and the shift-bar 13 in the full line position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawin s. In this position the tape-guide 12 leads t e tape When a downward movement is imparted to the lifter-rod to lift the presser-foot, the portion 23 of the collar 24 engages the arm 21 thereby rocking t upon its fulcrum. Owing to the normal cs1- tion of the screw 18 in the slot 17, thes 1ftbar. is moved to the left by the movement of the arm 19 and shifts the tape'guide to position the tape in the path of the needle 5. In other words, the tape 0 is shifted from the relative positions shown in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings'to the positions shown in Figs. 4 and 6. Inasmuch as the shift-bar is carried by the two rocking arms 15 and 19, the

' tape-guide during the movement described is shifted substantially bodily and maintains its guiding direction. It will be observed that the clearance between the lug 32 and the lifter-lever is greater than the clearance between the collar 23 and the arm 21 and consequently the tape-guide is shifted laterally before the presser-foot is moved.

The shift-bar 13 is formed with a depending ear 35 affording convenient means for an operator to throw the shift-bar and the tapeguide carried thereby into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, to accommodate the threading of the covering-strip into the guide-member 10, the shift bar being held against accidental movement in this position by the spring 33 with the tape-guide leading the tape outside the path of the needle 6.

Depending from the shift-bar 13 is a supportin plate 36 formed with a forwardly exten ing car 37 carrying a stud-pin 38 threaded at its outer end. Pivotally supported upon the plate 36 by means of a screw 39 is the depending arm 40 of a tensioning finger 41 adapted to constantly bear upon the tape passing through the guide 12. The tensioning action of the finger 41 is obtained from a coiled spring 42, bearin at one end against an ear 43 on the depen ing arm 40 and at its other end against an adjustable nut 44 threaded upon the stud-pin 38. The ear 43 is slightly longer than the ear 3? to facilitate its manipulation by an operator to iaaaaei by set-screws, as 49, to a bushing 50 suitably secured in the head of the machine frame and forming the lower bearing for the presser-' bar 51. Secured to the fulcrum-pin 47 upon opposite sides of the bracket 48 are two collars 52 and 53, of which the collar 52 is formed with a notch adapted to be entered by a spring-pressed plunger 54 to hold the edge-folder in its inoperative position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In order to obtain the product shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the edgefolder is lowered into operative position and the tape-guide is in its normalposition of leading the tape between the needles as Shown in Fig. 1.- Whenever it is desired to secure the tape, a slight downward movement of the presser lifter treadle-rod shifts the tape-guide bodily to position the tape in the path of the needle 5. It is, however, for certain classes of work such as waists, desirable, to attach the tape and covering-strip to the body garment m at a point distant from the edge thereof, and leave a substantial margin extending beyond the attaching line in which case the edge of the body-material is separately folded and stitched, and the edge- -folder thrown out of operative positlon.

Owing to the fulcrum of the edge-folder above the cloth-plate, the tape and coveringstripmay then be secured to the body-gar-' ment as described in'the first instance and at any desired distance from the edge thereof.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is- 1. In a sewing machine, the combination with a tape-guide, and a covering strip guide, of an edge-folder movable into positions to secure a covering strip and a tape to the folded edge of the garment, and to permit of the unlting of the covering strip and the tape with a body fabric at a point distant from its free edge.

2. In a sewing machine, in combination, an edge-folder supported from above the sewing machine cloth-plate and adapted to ing a tension to a'tape passing through said tape-guide.

4. In a sewing machine for guiding and folding superposed plies of fabric, in combination, an edge-folder supported from above the sewing machine cloth-plate and adapted to be thrown out of operative position, means for retaining said edge-folder in its inoperative position, a tape-guide, means for shifting said tape-guide laterally across the line of seam-formation, means for constantly applying a tension to a tape passing through said tape-guide, and means for adjusting the degree of tension applied to said tape. I

5. In a sewing machine, a tape-guide, a shift-bar carrying said ta e-guide, a tapetensioning finger carried by said shift-bar and adapted to constantly bear upon a tape passing through said tape-guide, means for adjusting the degree of tension applied by said tensioning finger, and means for shifting said tapeguide, the tensioning finger and the tension adjusting means laterally in a line transverse to the line of seam-formation.

6. In a sewing machine including in combination, a cloth-plate, an overhanging arm, a strip-folder carried by said cloth-pl ate, an edge-folder pivotally supported from said overhanging arm, a tape-guide, a shift-bar sustaining said tape-guide, means for shifting said tape-guide laterally in a line transverse to the line of seam-formation, and a Igape-tensioning finger carried by said shift- 7. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle-bar carrying a plurality of needles, a cloth-plate, and an overhanging arm, of a strip-folder carried by said clothplate, an edge-folder pivotally supported from said overhanging arm, a tape-guide adapted to normally lead the tape between said needles, a shift-bar sustaining said tape-guide, a tape-tensioning finger carried by said shift-bar, means for adjusting the degree of tension applied by said tensioning finger, and means for shifting said tapeguide laterally to guide the tape into the path of one of said needles.

8. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle-bar carrying a. plurality of needles, of a tape-guide, a shift-bar carrying said tape-guide, a pivotally supported arm upon which said shift-bar is pivotally secured, a second pivotally supported arm pivotally connected with said shift-bar, means for actuating one of said arms to shift said tape-guide bodily in a line transverse to the line of seam-formation to guide a tape into the path of one of said needles, and means for constantly applying an adjustable tension to said tape regardless of the shifted position of said tape-guide 9. In a sewing machine, the combination with a needle-bar carrying a plurality of needles, of a strip-folder, an edge-folder, a tape-guide, a shift-bar carrying said tapeguide, a tape-tensioning finger carried by said shift-bar, means carried by said shiftbar for regulating the action of said tensioning finger, means for shifting said tape-' guide laterally in a line transverse to the line of seam-formation to guide the tape .into the path of one of the needles, and

means permitting said tape-guide to be thrown out f operative position.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT H. DE VOE. 

